The earliest fossil reptiles known from South Africa

3. Huisswael — Uitheems 4. Perelbors-swaeltjie — Inheems

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5. Rooikeel-byevreter — Inheems 6. Klein-windswael — Inheems

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The Earliest Fossil Reptiles

known from South Africa

fieldw ork fo r a geological project on rocks from the Ecca G roup near Prince Albert, the K a ro o -P a la e o n to lo g ist of the M useum , Bruce Rubidge, stum bled upon an in situ

fossilised skull of a large reptile. This find immediately struck him as being perhaps the oldest fossil of a terrestrial reptile yet discovered in South A frica. Spurred on by this idea he searched the area for fu rth e r fossils, but unfortunately to no avail.

Early in .l 980, th is fin d continued to tickle his im agination. A ltho ugh the search for fu rth e r

fo s s ils proved u n fru itfu l, he s till fe lt convinced th a t if there was one there could be more! This curiosity resulted in a collecting trip to the same stratigraphic horison in the Prince Albert district, during w h ic h 6 weathered reptilian skulls and n u m e r o u s p o s t c r a n i a l b o n e s w e re unearthed.

These fossils are at present being prepared fo r fu rth e r study. U nfortunately they are preserved in very hard rock and preparation is proving to be a very slow and tedious

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